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Requesting Spaces

imperialcollegeunion.org/trainingimperialcollegeunion.org

Requesting Spaces

Requesting Spacesimperialcollegeunion.org/training

ContentsContents 2

Introduction 3

Starting Out 4

Overview 5

How to request a space 6

When can requests be made? 11

Guest speakers 12

Event scope and advertising 13

Marshalling 14

Performance rights 15

General preparation 16

Use of space on the day 17

Food & drink 18

Careers events 19

Unexpected occurances 20

Complaints & appeals 22

Finances 23

Safety & insurance 25

Reporting & reviewing 26

Special cases 27

Important things to remember 29

Appendix 1 - College rooms 30

Appendix 2 - Emergency procedures 33

Appendix 3 - Speaker approval policy 34

© 2011 Imperial College UnionVersion 2.0 - 01 June 2011

Requesting Spaces

imperialcollegeunion.org/training

Introduction

This booklet is a brief introduction to what you should know about requesting spaces which are used to run events for your Club, Society or Project on an Imperial College campus. Events have the opportunity of making a lot of money for your Club, Society or Project and provide you with immense amounts of advertising and kudos; however they can also make a huge loss which may affect your Club, Society or Project for years.

There are a lot of College rules and procedures which must be adhered to when organising events and using spaces. If you do not abide by these rules then it is very likely that no student groups will be allowed to use the spaces in the future – there have been Clubs, Societies & Projects blacklisted in the past!

For events with any significant financial expenditure, this booklet should be read in conjunction with the booklet on Event Budgeting.

Important Contacts

If you need help with anything related to what is containted in this booklet, you can get in contact with the Deputy Presdient (Clubs & Societies).

For certain tasks you may need to contact the Union’s Functions Coordinator, Jim Donaldson.

Functions CoordinatorJim DonaldsonE: [email protected]: 020 7594 8060, extension 58060

Monya ZardDeputy President (Clubs & Societies) E: [email protected]: 020 7594 1763, extension 41763


Starting Out

When organising any type of event there are a few pointers to consider.

1. Ensure clear aims & objectives are defined for the activity or event – write them down and share them with your fellow organisers.

2. Make sure you are clear about who your participants or audience are.

3. Ask yourself and others if the aims and objectives meet everyone’s expectations. Are they suitable for all participants or the type of audience? Are they achievable?

4. If the event you are organising will cost money then write a budget and get it approved by the relevant authority:

• If the budgeted expenditure comes to under £200, your Club, Society or Project committee can approve it.

• If the budgeted expenditure comes to £200 or over, your management group Chair or Treasurer will have to approve it.

• If the budgeted expenditure comes to over £1000, the Deputy President (Finance & Services) will also have to approve it.

Advice on how to write a budget for an event is contained within the Event Budgeting booklet, while the Finance Operations and Finance Overview training discuss the detailed procedures for operating your finances.

Specific guidance

For each of the events mentioned below specific guidance will be published during 2011, online at imperialcollegeunion.org/training.

This will outline all the rules surrounding such events and suitable specific contacts for making them happen, they are:• Shows and concerts• Talk, Presentation or Lecture• Exhibition• Discussion or debate• Film Showing• Exhibition• Dinner• Rehersal• We are Metric night• Bar Nights in the Union• Pub crawl or treasure hunt

Requesting Spaces


Overview

The process for booking Union or Departmental spaces throughout the College is via an online room request system. Requests must be made a minimum of two weeks before the intended use.

To request spaces you must navigate to imperialcollegeunion.org/roomrequests, and log into with your personal College login. Please note you will not be able to login with your Club, Society or Project login!

You will only be able to login to the online portal once you have successfully passed the eLearning quizzes associated with Key Information training, and this training - Requesting Spaces.

Virtually all spaces which can be booked by student groups throughout the College can be booked via the online request system discussed in the next section.

There are a few minor exceptions to this where special rules and procedures apply, these are discussed in the Special Cases section.

Most notable of these are some spaces in the Sherfield Building: • Great Hall, • Queens Tower Rooms, • Senior Common Room, • Seminar and Learning Centre • Sherfield Concourse levelsThese are controlled by the College Conference & Events Team. Sports Faciltities and ICSMSU space at the Reynolds Building are the other main ones.

Remember! When you request use of a space within the College you will personally held responsible that all rules are followed when that space is used.

Also Note! Until you have a confirmation email from the Student Activities Centre your request is a still a request. The room is not booked for your group until you have a confirmation emailing saying it is booked.

Never ever use a space which you have not received an email confirmation for, even one you have previously requested.


Any request to use a space must be made online by navigating to imperialcollegeunion.org/roomrequests. While the work to deal with a room request will be carried out by the Student Activities Centre staff, requests cannot be made in person or over the phone.

You will need to provide a detailed description of the type of use you are intending for the space, including whether you intend a non-Imperial guest speaker to attend (specific details in the Guest Speakers section), the number of expected attendees and the style in which the use of the space will be advertised. This consideration is important due to the rules surrounding marshalling of events.

Your request will be considerably delayed if the information you provide is not sufficient, and the space you desire to use may subsequently be booked by another group.

You will also be asked to provide your contact mobile number in case of a query or emergency situation while the event is taking place. You must provide this information.

When you have submitted a request for a space you will receive an email quoting a ten digit alphanumeric reference, this reference should be quoted in all future correspondance about the specific request to avoid confusion. The following pages demonstrate how to submit a room request.

How to request a space

Requesting Spaces


How to request a space cont...

Logging in

Navigate to imperialcollegeunion.org/roomrequests, click on New Room Request, then enter your College login and password in the relevant boxes and click Login.

Navigation page

On the main request page below, click on Room Request. If at this point you receive an error message it indicates that you have not successfully passed the quizzes associated with Key Information and Requesting Spaces training.


Space request page

If you hold more than one position in the Union, for example you are on the committee of two clubs, or you are an academic rep and on the Committee of a society then you will be able to request the use of spaces for any of those groups. From the Club drop down select the group you making the request on behalf of.

In the Purpose of Request box write a detailed description of what you want to use the space for - the more information the better. In the Contact No. box add in your mobile number, and in the No. of Attendees box estimate the number of people who will be attending. Make sure this figure is as accurate as possible so room capacities aren’t exceeded and you are allocated an appropriate space.

Rooms section

In the Rooms section of the page, click Add Rooms on the right hand side, this will bring up a selection panel. Select the date and times you would like to request a space for, then use the Department drop down box to select the department or campus on which the space is located. The rooms in the relevant department then appear, click on the ones you wish to request. Then click Add Rooms. Repeat the process for all spaces you wish to include in the request.


Requesting Spaces


Guest Speakers section

In the Guest Speakers section you must provide details of any Non-Imperial people who will be leading a session, giving talk etc.. This is someone who is not a previously registered instructor (this applies only to Clubs, Societies & Projects - details in the Principal Officers training). You do not need to complete this section if the activity is being lead by an Imperial student or staff member, in which case leave this section blank.

If you need to record the attendance of a speaker, click Add speaker on the right hand panel. A box appears to, fill in the details of their name, the subject of the event and any further details such as their employment, the organisation they represent or where they have spoken in the recent past. Click the Add Guest Speaker button to associate this person with your space request. If you are having more than one person attend, repeat the process.

Anything else section

In this section please add any further information you feel is relevant to the request. You should specifically note how the use of the space will be publicised, this will dicate whether marshalling of the event is required. Details are given in the section on Marshalling. You should name the marshals who will be on duty in this section.

Please also indicate if the activity will be noisy - particularly music and dancing. While these activities are great, noise does carry. This information will help allocate you an appropriate space to use.

When you have provided all the necessary information click on Submit.



What happens next?

The booking process is a relatively involved operation. For each request permission must be sort from the controlling department. If this permission is granted each booking must be approved by the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies), before the request is sent to College Security for additional approval. Some visiting speakers to the College may require the approval of the College Secretary. For this reason the process may take up to three working weeks.

Requestors may view the progress of their requests online by clicking the “view my requests” link at imperialcollegeunion.org/roomrequests This will provide an idea of where each request is in the system, each of the boxes require a tick in before a booking can be confirmed.

Never use a space before you receive a final confirmation that you have been authorised to use it from the Student Activities Centre.

Cancelling a requsest

Occassionally circumstances may change and you no longer require a space for the times you have requested it. In this case contact the Student Activities Centre immediately.

How to request a space cont...External organisations

Never request a space within the College for an external organisation, this is strictly forbidden and will result in immediate revoking of your booking privileges. Contact the Deputy President (Clubs & Soceities) if you are approached by a company asking to do this.

Access to buildings

You may end up being allocated a space within a building for which you do not normally have access to. Email the Deptuy President (Clubs & Societies) with the CID numbers of those requiring access at least three working days before the booking. For example Physics students requiring access to a space in the EEE Builing. Swipe access will only be granted to members of your group.

Specific types of event

Ensure you have read the event training guide relevant to your event type. They are written to help you but also ensure you don’t break any rules specific to those event types.

Any questions?

Contact the Student Activities Centre team at [email protected] for any room booking related queries.

Requesting Spaces


When can requests be made?

Requests for spaces throughout the College can be made throughout the year, however bear in mind the following considerations:

• Bookings for a given term will open on the the last but one Monday of the preceding term. This means that in general, bookings for the Autumn term will open towards the end of June of the previous academic year, the bookings for the Spring term will open at the end of December and bookings for the Summer term will open at the end of March.

• Bookings for the holidays can be made during the preceding term e.g. bookings for the Easter holidays can be made during the Spring term.

• It is advisable to give at least three weeks notice, for obtaining rooms and bookings will not usually be accepted with less than two weeks notice.

Room requests operate on a first-come first-served basis, so it is vital to plan ahead in order to book the space you require. In addition, requests in College take extra time to process as they must be approved by the department, the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) and also by College Security.

Extra equipment

Generally many rooms around the College campsues have some equipment installed such as digitial projects or whiteboards. The Union has a supply of equipment which groups may borrow, including a mobile PA system for music.

To enquire about using a digital projector, screen or flipchart for Union Building rooms or elsewhere contact the Student Activities Centre, or look on the centre’s website at imperialcollegeunion.org/sac

For obtaining sound or light equipment, a Late Licence or DJ contact the Union’s Functions Coordinator, though special considerations may apply. Most rooms in the College are not suitable for the use of such items in, though the Union’s Functions Coordinator will be able to advise you.


All external speakers coming to visit the College campuses must be approved. An external speaker is someone who is not a current Imperial College Student or Staff member.

The reasoning behind needing to have speakers approved is to ensure compliance with the College’s Code of Practice to ensure Freedom of Speech for speakers. This is not unique to Imperial College; all Universities are required to operate a Code of Practice for Freedom of Speech under the Education Act 1994. Event organisers must complete the Visiting Speaker Approval part of the request to book a room to begin the authorisation process, see the Requesting a space section.

IMPORTANT

The College have the power to stop events (right up until the event start time) and apply a large number of conditions and restrictions. These could including restricting the event to Imperial College students and staff only, banning of recording devices at the event or even having the Police present.

Guest Speakers

When providing the details of your guest speaker the full name(s) and sponsoring/relevant organisations of any speakers must be given along with a detailed description of the talk or session which is intending to be delivered. A lack of detail could result in your request being held-up for long periods or even cancelled so please include as much information as you can.

If your speaker or session leader is known to the media, controversial or speaking on a topic likely to cause offence please include full details in the “Further details” category of the online space request.

Where more information is requested a response must be given immediately to prevent delays in the approval process or cancellation of your event. Occasionally the decision on whether or not to allow the event to go ahead will be referred to the College Secretary so it is essential we know about it in good time.

Requesting Spaces


Event scope and advertising

Once your space has been successfully booked and confirmed you will probably publicise your event in some manner. Ideas and specific rules around publicity can be found in the Publicity booklet available online from imperialcollegeunion.org/training.

Depending upon the scope of this publicising there are a number of different protocols and rules.

Advertised on a mailing list only Ensure that all attendees have Imperial College swipe cards. Those who do not should be vouched for by a College member, you must know their name and where they are from if questioned by College Security.

Advertised using College/Union space or web services

This type of advertising includes the use of the College website, posters displayed on College premises and the Union’s What’s On calendar found on imperialcollegeunion.org/whats-on.

In these cases members of the public may attend your event as well as peopel who are not members of your Club, Society or Project. Therefore, to ensure College property and members are safe

you must take the following steps in these cases:

1. Check for Imperial College swipe cards on the door to the event

2. Take the name of attendees without swipe cards and write them on a list

3. Conduct a fire briefing detailing the nearest exits and emergency procedure, this information may alternatively be given at the door providing this does not cause a hazard

4. Book an appropriate complement of marshals, see the Marshalling section for details.

If there is no guest list for an event advertised in these ways all attendees must have an Imperial College swipe card OR be the explicit responsibility of a College member.

Advertised using external publications or web services

Any event which is advertised using external publications, web services or premises require special approval. The publicity material must be cleared before being used. Contact the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) to investigate how to do this. You should then follow the protocol laid out for events advertised using College/Union space or web services.


Marshalling

Activities occuring on College campuses which are open only to members of the respective group organising the event will not normally require marshalling.

Volunteer marshalling is possible for student organised events on Imperial College campuses which DO NOT include the consumption of alcohol as part of the event. Marshals will usually be required where events are open to the wider College community or the general public. Where an event is ticketed for which a charge has been made marshals will normally be required.

The number of marshals normally required is shown in the table below.

Attendees Marshals required<100 2

100 - 250 3

251 - 500 4

501 - 750 5

751 - 1000 6

Whether or not marshals are required, and the number which must be present is at the discretion of the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies), College Security and the College Fire Office. Failure to have the stipulated number of marshals at an event may result in the closure of the event.

The Deputy President (Clubs & Societies), College Security and the College Fire Office may stipulate that Union stewards or College Security Officers are present at an event, for which there is likely to be a charge. Union stewards will always be required if an event includes the consumption of alcohol, or takes place within the Union Building when more than 100 people are present. For queries regarding Union stewards please contact the Functions Coordinator.

Details of how to become a marshal, and the associated resposibilities can be found in the Marshalling training and eLearning online at imperialcollegeunion.org/training

Requesting Spaces


Legally, any Union or College group must have permission to perform any materials which are subject to copyright constraints. This area can include, but is not limited to, music, video, plays, and operas. This includes films on DVD which are shown in lecture theatres.

It is absolutely imperative that the performance rights are clarified and obtained before any other form of planning or organising is started. Performing materials without the correct rights in place can lead to legal action being brought against the Union or the College. In some cases performance rights can be

secured for nothing, in other instances a charge may be levied, which may be related to audience size. It is advisable to obtain these costs in writing from the copyright owner in advance and factor them into your event budget. Imperial College has pre-paid rights to a broad range of works, for details contact the Membership Services Manager for details.

Performance Rights

Volunteers Officers found responsible for infringing performance rights regu-lations will be subject to Union and/or College Disciplinary Procedures. Any costs resulting from legal action will be passed on to the relevant Club, Society or Project.


General preparation

Before any event taking place on a College campus begins, all of the follow items must be in place:

Area ConsiderationsRead the event specific training document

Ensure any rules specific to your event type have been considered and incorporated into your event plan, the guidance given in this booklet is general advice and rules. These are available from imperialcollegeunion.org/training

Confirmed space booking

Make sure you actually have a confirmed booking for the space you are using. In the request you must have fully disclosured details regarding food, alcohol, attendees and external speakers and session leaders. A booking is not confirmed until you receive an email to this effect from the Student Activities Centre confirming Security have checked your booking. Do not use any space before receiving this email confirmation.

Risk Assessment A risk assessment for the event must be held within the Union, this may be a standalone document sent to the Membership Services Manager or included in your club Risk Assessment on eActivities.union.ic.ac.uk. Details of how to construct a risk assessment are contained in the Writing a Risk Assessment booklet, while eActivities for Administration outlines how to submit it.

Hot works permit This permit is necessary for the use of pyrotechnics, naked flames or haze. It must be collected from the Fire Office and be produced upon request during an event.

Marshalling Adequate marshals must be in place and have completed the training in line with the Union marshalling policy, details in the Marshalling training and eLearning.

Car parking If parking spaces are required for speakers etc. they must be requested well in advance by contacting the Student Activities Coordinator. It is not possible for parking to be arranged on the day of an event.

Requesting Spaces


Use of the space on the day

When it comes to actually using a space on a College campus on the day of an event there are a number of considerations. Above all be considerate to other building users.

Failure to take due care can result in anything from removal of your room booking rights and/or existing bookings to formal College disciplinary procedures being taken against you. This list includes most of the things expected of you but is not an exhaustive list:

1. Return the space to its neutral state. This will usually be the state in which it was found, check in Appendix 1 for the neutral configurations of spaces.

2. Take a picture with a camera or mobile phone of the room when you are finished. This means that if the Department request evidence that you tidied up we can provide it and which will defend you from additional cleaning charges. This photo must be kept for a minimum of 21 days and can be requested at any time up to this point.

3. Know your ten digit reference from the Student Activities Centre and your group code case a building manager, Security Officer or Conferences employee need to verify your use of the space.

4. Leave the space promptly at the end of your booking and by 10.45 at the latest, you must have vacated the building by 11.00. This prevents unnecessary work for College Security and ensures you aren’t locked in for the night.

5. Ensure room capacities are not exceeded. Counters are part of the marshalling packs and must be used where the capacity may exceed 100 people. Your event will be stopped if the room capacity is exceeded. If you are in doubt about your room capacity please check it in Appendix 1 of this document.

6. Be respectful regarding noise levels including whilst people are arriving and departing from your event. Other students and staff are often still working well past 18.00, so consider their needs as well as yours.

7. Do not serve food or alcohol without first informing the Union via the room request system (see section on How to request a space). Include in your booking if you intend to provide food or alcohol, and how it will be sourced. See the section in Food & Drink for more details.

8. If the space you have booked is found in an unacceptable condition or if equipment is broken report it as soon as possible to the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies). Please take photos as evidence. If your space is unusable for your event contact College Security on 020 7594 4444 and request an emergency replacement space explaining the nature of the space you require and the cause. Once they have consented follow their instructions.


Food & Drink at College Venues

There are specific rules regarding the provision of food and drinks at events held on College Campuses, including in the Union Building.

Professional caterers can sometimes be engaged to serve food on College campuses. Any external caterers will require clearance from the Functions Coordinator and Westminster Council. This is to ensure the caterer also meets the necessary hygiene standards and mean you will not be held liable for poisoning someone. You must contact the Functions Coordinator if you are planning to use external caterers, at least three weeks before the event takes place.

In some circumstances where you are providing food during events, whether yourself, or through another provider take

every precaution to ensure that the food being served is safe and fully cooked. Also be aware of food allergies and religous food requirements among the participants.

Student groups cannot consume alcohol which they have brought onto Union or College premises as these are licensed venues. Any alcohol to be consumed must be purchased through Union or College bars, or a corkage fee may need to be negotiated in advance.

For the supply of alcohol for events held on Union premises contact the Functions Coordinator.

Only food and drink provided by the College can be supplied and consumed in areas controlled by the College’s Conference & Events team.

Requesting Spaces


Careers events

If you do want to hold an event with a careers theme to it which involves inviting representatives from companies wishing to recruit, even if it has departmental backing, you must liaise with Careers Advisory Service and the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies).

The Union has come up with the following guidelines for Careers Events, in agreement with the Careers Advisory Service. It is important that companies receive the best image of Imperial College possible and do not organise events for companies that clash with those of similar companies who are on campus at the same time. These guidelines only apply to rooms in the College.

Events which Clubs, Societies & Projects are

encouraged to organise:

Speakers/presentations from companies whose field falls within the remit of a Club or Society, e.g. British Antarctic Survey speaking to the Exploration Society, Rio Tinto speaking to de la Beche Society.

Visits to companies or locations, e.g. CivSoc visiting a construction site. Alumni networking, e.g. inviting ex-members who are now employed by companies to talk about their experiences.

Events included in a sponsorship package which include either presentations or

skills-based sessions specific to the members of the Club, Society or Project being sponsored.

Events which Clubs, Societies & Projects are

not encouraged to organise:

Careers Fairs – If you do want to run one, even if it has departmental backing, you must liaise with Careers Advisory Service and the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies).

Events which Clubs, Societies & Projects

should not organise:

Events or presentations in conjunction with 3rd party recruitment agencies, e.g. monster.co.uk, gradjobs.co.uk.

Main company presentations which are targeted at all students, e.g. PWC or Deloitte doing their once-yearly presentation. These MUST be organised by the Careers Advisory Service. One-off presentations/talks where a company pays a Club, Society or Project to specifically book a room and organise catering outside of a wider sponsorship package.

All events must be organised entirely by a Club, Society or Project, i.e. all room bookings, liaison with the Union or College, finances and catering. It is NOT acceptable to book a room and then tell the company to organise their own catering through College or the Union.


Unexpected occurences

A number of eventualities could unexpectedly interrupt your event ranging from noise complaints to a medical emergency. You need to be aware of what to do in each case so please read the following carefully. Failure to respond appropriately could endanger our students or even the general public and you will be responsible as it is your booking. Appendix 2 summarises the most crucial of these procedures.

Space found in an unacceptable condition

If the space you have booked has been left in an unacceptable condition by another user or if equipment is broken report it as soon as possible to the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies). If you cannot reasonably use the space you have booked then do not attempt to do so, you should not risk being blammed for damages. Please take photos as evidence.

If your space is unusable for your event contact College Security on 020 7594 4444 and request an emergency replacement space explaining the nature of the space you require and the cause. College Security have access to available spaces throughout the College and the authority to move your booking to a suitable venue at immediate notice.

Security concerns

This may occur upon receiving a noise complaint from other building users, security concerns regarding the event, conflict with Health & Safety legislation or allegations of criminal damage.

College Security or a Fire Officer will first attend and ask for the situation to be resolved, though in serious cases this may not happen. You should then make every effort to comply with their request.

If the issue is not resolved no further warnings will be given and the event will be stopped by a a decision of College Security only.

A College Security Officer will inform you of this and at this point you:• Must not argue, as their decision is

final. Do document the sequence of events. It may be discussed at a later date, but at the time the decision of College Security is final.

• Must follow their instructions and assist them in stopping the event as far as possible and practicalable. Provide contact details to attendees if requested or in case refunds or similar compensation are required.

• Clear up, reset the room to the agreed neutral configuration and leave as promptly as possible. College Security should allow you to do this. Document that you have done so using a photo as usual.

Requesting Spaces


• Email the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) immediately giving a full account of what occurred.

Fire Emergency

In the event a fire emergency occurs do the following:• If discovering a fire or smoke,

operate the nearest fire alarm call point.

• Direct people immediately to the designated fire exit escape route.

• Ensure any moving or potentially hazardous electrical equipment is switched off.

• Leave the building and do not re-enter.

• Await College Security to attend, follow their instructions from this point on.

Public disorder

Upon public disorder, imminent risk of damage to College property or a threat to event attendees you should:• On the South Kensington Campus

call extension 4444 from an internal phone. From any other campus or from a mobile call 0207 594 4444 and alert College Security.

• Tell College Security your current location and nature of the threat or risk. inform them if you think the

emergency services will be required.• Attempt to persuade disruptive

elements to leave the event location but do not place yourself in any danger or attempt to physically remove any disruptive elements.

• When College Security arrive follow their instructions.

Medical emergency

Call 112 or 999 and request the relevant emergency services, either from a mobile phone or landline.

• As soon as possible call internally on 4444 (0207 594 4444 from a mobile) and alert College Security to the location and nature of the incident. They will be able to direct the emergency services once on site and provide first aid equipment such as defibrillators before the emergency services arrive.

• Call for assistance from first aid trained attendees and apply first aid within your training limitations. Do NOT attempt anything you are not trained to do.

• Attempt to gain a basic medical history if possible and record any actions you take and the time at which you carried them out. This information should be passed on to the emergency services when they arrive.

Unexpected occurences cont...


Complaints and appeals

Sometimes things simply do not go to plan, which may in the most serious cases lead to complaints being made, both by you for services which should have been more appropriately delivered, or against you or your group by various segments of the College structure.

If an complaint has been received against you or your group the Deputy President (Clubs & Socities) will inform you of this. You will get the chance to respond to any complaints about your conduct with respect to the use of spaces. The Deputy President (Clubs and Societies) will in most cases deal with the matter. You or your group may lose the right to request and use College spaces (or a subset of them) for a set amount of time.

In cases where an appropriate resolution cannot be found, such as where to make charges for large amounts of damage, then the Deputy Rector may be asked to arbitrate between the Union and College Departments.

If you feel you have received substand service when request a space then depending on the part of your booking you feel has been dealt with in a substandard or unfair manner there are a number of people who will handle the issue.

The first point of contact regarding most complaints should be Deputy President (Clubs & Societies). If your complaint is regarding the conduct of the Deputy President (Clubs & Societies) contact the Union President to discuss the complaint. The Deputy President (Clubs and Societies) will assist you in dealing with issues arising from College or Union staff.

Requesting Spaces


Finances

The success of an event is often judged on how much money it makes (or loses). Events carry a lot of risk, and there is the potential of something going very wrong along the way and therefore the risk of significant financial implications.

Preparing a Budget

For an event of any size you must prepare a budget which breaks down your expected income and expenditure. If you are going to spend more (i.e. total expenditure) than £200 you will have to gain the permission of your Management Group Chair or Treasurer before the event takes place, and for any event where you will be spending more than £1,000 you must also gain the permission of the Deputy President (Finance & Services). Complete an Event Budget, and email it to your Management Group Chair or Treasurer, and the Deputy President (Finance & Services) if appropriate, for approval. You need to do this at least three weeks in advance of the event.

The event budgeting template is able to give information on your required sales performance for an event, it can be found online at imperialcollegeunion.org/forms. For much more information on budgeting for events see the booklet on Event Budgeting.

Be realistic with your attendance

figures. If you have run this event before, look at previous attendance figures and do not over-estimate.

Warning: If a budget has not been approved, it is possible that the event may be cancelled by the management group or Deputy President (Finance & Services), so ensure you submit your budget in a timely manner and before you start booking rooms or paying suppliers.


Finances cont...

Sponsorship

Events are often of interest to sponsors as they offer the potential to target a specific audience and increase their profile on campus. For more information on how to go about trying to gain sponsorship for an event, see the booklet on Sponsorship.

Sponsorship can often provide the financial buoyancy that your event needs, and reduce the ticket prices to ensure a good turnout. However, you should be very wary when budgeting sponsorship if it has not been confirmed in writing.

Delegating Expenditure

In some cases you may require your committee members to purchase items for an event. As you will have calculated your expenditure from your event budget, it is important you inform them and stress to them the maximum they are allowed to spend.

Should they overspend; the financial situation of your event will be changed, and will end up causing you more work revising the budget and ensuring your event is still financially viable. Details are discussed in the Finance Operations and Finance Overview training.

Requesting Spaces


Risk Assessments

If the event being undertaken is outside of the usual activities of the Club, Society or Project, or especially large, then a Risk Assessment specifically for the event will need to be written. External venues will generally require a Risk Assessment before agreeing to host an event. A Risk Assessment template is available at imperialcollegeunion.org/forms, guidance is available in the Writing Risk Assessments training booklet.

Insurance

If a Club, Society or Project is anticipating organising an event which has a reasonable possibility of being cancelled resulting in large irrecoverable costs then it would be advisable to take out some form of cancellation insurance. An example of such an event would be a show with a large initial outlay on costumes, sets, venue etc.., where the audience are primarily external people. A good example of such an event would be the Musical Theatre Society’s annual two week show which is hosted in Devon; the audience being made up of almost totally local people and holiday makers from Devon.

To arrange such insurance please contact the Membership Services Manager who can assist. Be aware that any insurance company are likely to need details of the activity being organised and the financial

plans behind the activity.

General information about other types of insurance which are either in place or available to organisers of Club, Society or Project events is contained within the Principal Officers booklet, available at imperialcollegeunion.org/training.

Safety and Insurance


It is advisable that groups hosting events report on and review their activities. Event, show, concert and other reports can be published in Felix - this is an excellent way of letting people know what you get up to and of publicising well-won achievements. It is advisable to compose interesting articles which give a lively and engaging account of your event; try to restrain from pure propaganda as this is less interesting for the average reader and is less likely to be published.

You should aim to have some good, high-resolution photos as well to go with the article. Email articles and pictures in to Felix Editor, [email protected]

Similarly, articles can be published on the main Union website by emailing them to [email protected], together with video clips if you have them. Videos posted to YouTube and photos to Flickr can be tagged with IMP150 – they will then automatically appear on the Union and College websites.

Writing reports is especially important if anyone has sponsored or donated money for your activities. It is essential you contact any sponsors after the event with a report of how you have used their money so they can gauge whether it was good value for their company and so they will be more likely to continue to sponsor your group in the future years or for another event. More details are contained within the Publicity booklet.

Likewise it is advisable to review the activity or event purely for future reference. Ask yourselves:

• What went well?• What didn’t go so well?• What improvements could be made for

next time?

Ensure this information is written down and passed on to successors or recorded in your Club, Societies or Projects archives so that your hard work can be built upon.

Reviewing & Reporting

Requesting Spaces


Special cases

Use of Metric

Use of the nightclub, Metric, located in the Union Building in Beit Quad, is subject to a special set of rules. On Wednesday, Thursday & Friday evenings it is used by the Union, on Tuesdays and Saturdays it used for the We Are Metric programme of events, details online at imperialcollegeunion.org/wearemetric.

At other times it is available for booking for certain activities through the normal space request system. Metric is not suitable for martial arts and other sporting activities.

Sports Facilities

Sports facilities within the College are controlled by Sport Imperial. Use of these facilities for Clubs, Societies & Projects is decided upon once a year by the Sports Bookings Committee which contains representatives of Sport Imperial and Imperial College Union.

Priority use in sports facilities is given to sports clubs – for training sessions and matches. Non-sporting clubs are welcome to make use of the facilities for more social sporting endeavors. Information about booking sports facilities can be obtained from the Sports Partnership Administrator.

Rooms at the Reynolds Building Controlled by ICSMSU

Some of the spaces end the Reynolds Building at Charing Cross Hospital are controlled by the Imperial College School of Medicine Students’ Union. The spaces available are the Music Room, Reynolds Bar area and some small meeting spaces. For information, and to book these spaces, please contact [email protected].


Spaces Controlled by the College Conference & Events Team

Most rooms in the College (apart from some of those in the Sherfield Building) are free to use for student groups and can be booked through the processes discussed in this booklet. There are a few exceptions within the College though.

The following rooms in are controlled by the Conference & Events Team:• Great Hall• Queens Tower Rooms (QTR)• Senior Common Room (SCR)• Sherfield Concourse Level 1 & 2• RSM 4.01• Seminar & Learning Centre• Wolfson Conference Centre (Hammersmith Campus)

These areas in the Sherfield Building attract a fee to use them for events. There is a reduced rate for student use and they are usually free to book for rehearsals.

A representative of the Conference & Events team works on the Student Hub every day until 13.00, call it to enquire about a booking during these hours.

External venues

This guidance has considered events and space usage on Imperial College campuses. Should you be using external venues, many of them will require signed Booking Contracts which will establish what each party expects. These contracts can only be signed by the Deputy President (Finance & Services).

The Deputy President (Finance & Services) may also be able to offer advice on similar events or venues used in the past. When using external venues, it is important you establish what charges may crop up along the way (such as hire of a lighting rig, or the employment of an AV technician).

You are advised to book as far in advance as possible if you have VIP guest speakers in attendance, as special arrangements may have to be arranged for their comfort and security.

Special cases cont...

Requesting Spaces


• Ensure you have a thorough and well researched budget written at least three weeks in advance of the event.

• If your expenditure is more than £200, get approval from your Management Group Chair or Treasurer.

• If it is over £1000, also get the approval of the Deputy President (Finance & Services).• If non-Imperial speakers or session

leaders are attending an event on a College Campus, complete the section in the online request form to ensure they are approved.

• External caterers require clearance. Contact the Functions Coordinator at least three weeks in advance.

• Marshals or Union stewards are required for some events, make sure they are correctly qualified or booked.

• Plan sponsorship and publicity well in advance

• Don’t just forget about the event once it’s approved; use it to publicise your Club, Society or Project via Union media and tell your sponsors.

Important Things to Remember


Union Building: Meeting Rooms: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 Union Dining Hall Union Concert Hall Union Gym Activity Spaces 1 & 2 Metric

Sherfield: JCR Lecture Theatres: Read & Pippard

Sir Alexander Flemming: Seminar Rooms: 119, 120, 122, 122, G15, G60, G61, G62, G63, G64, G65, G67, G68, G69, G70 Lecture Theatres: G16 & G34 Concourse Level 1 SAF Foyer

Blacket: Lecture Theatres: 1,2 & 3 Rooms: 306, 328, 539, 630, 737, 741 & 1004 Concourse Level 2 Concourse Level 3

Huxley: Lecture Theatres: 130, 144, 145, 308, 311, 340 711C, Clore Rooms: 344 (A,B,C&D), 408, 503, 658, 341, 342, 343, Concourse Levels 2 Concourse Levels 3

Electrical Engineering: Lecture Theatre: 408 Rooms: 403 (A&B), 406, 407 (A&B), 508, 509 (A&B), 511

Appendix 1 - College Spaces

Requesting Spaces


Royal School of Mines: Rooms: 301 (A,B,C&D), G1 Lecture Theatres: 1.31, 1.47, 2.28, G20 Concourse Level 2

Aero: Lecture Theatres: 252, 253, 254, 266 Rooms: 362 (C&D), 455 (A&B), 563B

Mechanical Engineering: Lecture Theatres: 220, 342, 542, 640, 664 Rooms: 213A, 650, 649, 651, 652, 703, 749, 750, 751, 752 Concourse Level 2

Skempton: Lecture Theatres: 201, 207, 208 Rooms: 141, 227, 228, 301, 307 Concourse Level 1 Concourse Level 2

BioChemistry: Lecture Theatre: 290 Rooms: 213 (A&B)

Chemical Engineering: Lecture Theatres: 1, 2 & 3 Rooms: 207, 230 (A&B), 306, 309, 312, 315, 400 (A&B)

Bessemer Building: Lecture Theatres: 318, 319, 327, 530

Appendix 1 - College Spaces cont...


Appendix 1 - College Spaces cont...

Hammersmith Campus: Lecture Theatres: LT1, LT2, LT3 Rooms: 203 (A&B), 207 (A,B&C), 3N5, SBS Rooms 1-8

Charing Cross Campus: Lecture Theatres: Drewe, Glenister, Lab Block 10th Floor, Lab Block 8th Floor Rooms: B1, B2, R1, R2, R3, G1, G2, G3, 9L10, 9L12, 9L13, 9L15 Reynolds Building Concourse Level

St. Marys Campus: Lecture Theatres: Rothschild, Clinical, Cockburn, Bannister Rooms: 3rd Floor Seminar, Committee Room, Peart Room

Requesting Spaces


Appendix 2 - Emergency procedures

Upon hearing the fire alarm or discovering a fire:

If discovering a fire or smoke, operate the nearest fire alarm call point.

Direct people immediately to the designated fire exit escape route.

Ensure any moving or potentially hazardous electrical equipment is switched off.

You should be last to leave the venue, but ensure you do not endanger yourself in any way

Leave the building and do not reenter.

Await Security to attend, follow their instructions from this point on.

Upon public disorder, imminent risk of damage to College property or a threat to event attendees

On the South Kensington Campus call extension 4444 from an internal phone. From any other campus or from a mobile call 0207 594 4444 and alert College Security.

Tell Security your current location and nature of the threat or risk, inform them if you think the emergency services will be required.

Attempt to persuade disruptive elements to leave the event location but do not place yourself in any danger or attempt to physically remove any disruptive elements.

Inform the audience of the situation and what actions to take. Ensure everyone remains calm.

When College Security arrive follow their instructions.

Medical emergency

Call 112 or 999 and request the relevant emergency services, either from a mobile phone or landline.

As soon as possible call 4444 (0207 5944 444) and alert College Security to the location and nature of the incident. They will be able to direct the emergency services once on site and provide first aid equipment such as defibrillators before the emergency services arrive

Call for assistance from first aid trained attendees and apply first aid within your training limitations. Do NOT attempt anything you are not trained to do.

Attempt to gain a basic medical history if possible and record any actions you take and the time at which you carried them out.


Appendix 3 - Speaker approval policy

The Union notes:

1. That a number of publications relating to best practice regarding University External Speaker Approval have recently published. Examples include the Caldicott enquiry, the Universities UK report and the Counter Terrorism Protective Security Advice for Higher and Further Education.

2. Section 43 of the Education Act (No. 2) 1986 states that “persons concerned in the government of any establishment... shall take such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure that freedom of speech within the law is secured for members, students and employees of the establishment and for visiting speakers.”

3. The Human Rights Act 1998 secures various rights including freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Article 9), freedom of expression (Article 10), freedom of assembly and association (Article 11).

4. The Public Order Act 1986 provides that without any violence occurring an offence may still take place when someone believes that immediate unlawful violence will be used or provoked or when harassment, alarm or distress is caused. The same Act makes inciting racial or religious hatred an offence.

5. The Terrorism Acts 2000 and 2006 also set out the offences related to terrorist offences which include supporting proscribed organisations in speeches and raising money to support them.

6. According to the Equality Act 2010 where speech or conduct related to a protected characteristic is intended to have the effect of violating another’s dignity or creating a “hostile, intimidating...environment” it shall be considered harassment.

7. There is need for clear guidelines on where the limits of free speech lie when speakers are invited by the Union or its recognised groups, including Clubs, Societies & Projects.

8. The College Code of Practice on Freedom of Speech must be adhered to by all members of the College and on all College business, including that of the Union and its recognised groups.

The Union believes:

1. In the principles of freedom of speech and expression within the limits of the law2. That we have a duty of care to students of different faiths, backgrounds and lifestyles3. That the opportunity, within the law, to hold and challenge extreme views should be

protected in the policies we uphold as a Union4. That the College Secretary should be consulted where the balance between Freedom of

Speech and its lawful restrictions exists5. That no platform policies limit the freedom and right of our students to choose which

views they hear. We recognise that we have a responsibility to allow extreme views to be challenged.

Requesting Spaces


Appendix 3 - Speaker approval policy

The Union resolves:

1. Requests for rooms and other spaces shall be received via an online system. Where an external speaker shall be leading or speaking at an event their details will be submitted through this system

2. Bookings shall not usually be accepted less than 2 weeks before the date of the event taking place. Permission will usually NOT be granted in these circumstances

3. The details of the event required include, title, date, organisers name & contact details, number of attendees and details of scope of advertising.

4. Speaker details required are: speaker full name and organisation speaker contact details title of talk and subject matter if the speaker has attended an event at Imperial College before other establishments the speaker has spoken at before and any where permission has been refused any notable details about the event eg. Security issues, media interest, controversial aspects of the talk or speaker5. If this information or any other requested by ICU is withheld or not promptly provided when

requested an event may be cancelled. The Union disciplinary policy may be implemented against the event organiser and/or committee in the event of disrepute, disorder or unlawfulness arising from the speaker or attendees. College or police action may also be consequences.

6. If College Security feel the physical security of the building, attendees or College members cannot be guaranteed the event must be cancelled. Appeals should be made to the College Secretary.

7. Conditions including but not limited to ticketing, restricting entry to Imperial members only or extra Security may be imposed on any event at the discretion of the Union President, Deputy President (Clubs & Societies), College Security or the College Secretary. Additional College Security, if required by the College, shall normally be paid for by the College.

8. Any group of people in College who could be intimidated, harassed or undermined by the content of talks should be informed at least 1 week before the event to allow their opinions and concerns to be addressed.

9. Approval or refusal, when there is doubt between conflicting legislation, shall be granted by the College Secretary.

Imperial College UnionBeit QuadranglePrince Consort RoadLondon SW7 2BB

Tel: 020 7594 8060Fax: 020 7594 8065Email: [email protected]: @icunionimperialcollegeunion.org